Miami, FL
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Pérez Art Museum Miami
What is Roe v. Wade?
Roe v. Wade was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 1973 that legalized abortion nationwide. The Court ruled 7-2 that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” also implies a fundamental right to privacy, therefore protecting a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose whether to have an abortion. This decision struck down many state laws restricting abortion and established a trimester-based framework for regulating abortion, balancing a woman’s right to choose with the state’s interests.
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed its previous stance on abortion rights, overturning the historic Roe v. Wade decision. This ruling eliminated federal protection for a woman’s right to choose, effectively transferring the authority to regulate abortion back to individual states. As a result, the legal landscape for abortion access now varies widely across the country, with each state determining its own policies and restrictions.
As of 2024, 14 states have implemented total or near-total abortion bans, while 11 have established new gestational limits. This has created a patchwork of abortion policies nationwide, with disproportionate impacts on women in the South and Midwest. The ruling has affected healthcare delivery, with some providers leaving states with strict bans, potentially worsening existing shortages in obstetric care. There are concerns about increased criminalization risks, particularly for people of color, in abortion-related cases. The decision has also had economic consequences, with studies showing negative impacts on women denied abortions, including higher poverty rates and reduced educational and career opportunities.
State of Labor
State of Labor is a forty-five second sound composition by Miami artist Antonia Wright. It combines data about travel times for abortion care with real sounds of women giving birth.
As one enters the gallery, the first thing encountered is a clear, hollow glass sculpture in the shape of a wire coat hanger, titled Hang-her, in a glass case that is embedded directly into the gallery wall. Upon making a left, the visitor must enter through a pair of dark curtains into a dark room with dim red light. The gallery walls are painted black, and there is nothing but a black bench in the center of the room. The black bench is underlit with red light as well. All around are the sounds of women in labor recorded by the artist.
The piece uses travel information to play different birth sounds. When the travel distances are average, you hear quieter sounds women make between contractions. When the distances get longer because of new state laws restricting access, you hear louder, more intense sounds of contractions.
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